Improvement in bams for vessels



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Quitte tstrs gef-mt n @ffice IMPROVEMENT IN RAMS FOR VYESSELS.

dlp .Stlnhtle referti: tu iu their etters utmtimt making pitt nf tip same.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAYCONCERN:

Be it known that I, WILLAM HAGERTY, o f Monongahela, Washington county, in 'the State of Pepnsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Rams for Iron-Clads; and I do hereby declare that the following isa full :indexact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon. 1 i

The nature of my invention consists in combining a releasing-,ram with the1 prow of iron-clads', or `other war-vessel's, said relensng-ram and prow being constructed, arranged, and operating in the manner and for the purpose hereinafter described.

To enable others skilled in the art of constructing iron-clads,"- and other warvessels, to uralte and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation. In the accompanying drawings, which form part of my specification-f- Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section of the front of an iron-clad provided .with a prow and my improvementl in releasing-rom Figure 2 represents a. transverse section of the same when cutvthroughat line'R of fig. 1.

In the drawings, A represents the hull of the vessel. B represents the deck. The hull and deck of the i vesselmay be constructed in any of the known forms,` and of any suitable material. C represents the prow, which may be made in any desired form, and secured' te the vessel by any known..mcans. D represents the meleasilngemm, which. is ftted'into a recess made in the bow of a vessel. The raul D is providedl with two shafts, f, which are furnishedwith screw-threads o, to which are fitted nuts e, provided with cogs or teeth, which gear into the teethof the wheel m on the shaft z', which is provided with a crank, le, to which is connected a pitxnan,n, of a. steam-engine. g and z are supports'andfguides for the shafts f of the releasing-ram D. The nuts e are .heldinrthe desired position on the shafts f by being placed between the supports g, as shown in iig. 1. The shafts y",fwhere they project out through the hull ofthe vessel, should be provided with packing boxes, or other device'for making the joints around thc shafts f water-tight.

i As the `skillful mechanic will readily understand the'construetion and arrangement of the several parts of -my improvement in releasing-rams from the foregoing description, and by reference to the accompanying draw ings, I will, therefore, without further description of its construction, proceed to describe its operation. i

' When. the prow Chas pierced an opposing ship or iron-cla( motion, through the medium of a steamengne, is imparted to the shaft z', which will revolve the wheel m, and the revolving ofpwheel m will -rcvolve the nuts e, and `the revolving ofthe nuts e will force the releasingram D out on a line parallel with the longitudinal plane of the prow C, as indicated by the red lines x, shown in fig. 1, and the` re1easing-ram D, coming in contact with the hull of the opposing vessel, will force it o`,and thereby withdraw the prow C, releasing it from any entanglement which may take place by the piercing of the opposing vessel. I I

` The danger ot' entangling the ship or iron-clad with the vessel pierced has beena very serious objection to the use of penetrating prows on iron-clads and other war-vessels, for the vessel which has penetratcdits opponent is very liable'to be carried down with its pierced and sinking adversary. This dangervof entanglement is entirely overcome by theuse ot" my improved relasing-ram. l

Having thus described the nature, construction, and operation of my improvement, what I claim as of my invention, is

The releasing-rain D, provided with shaftsf, furnished with screw-threads o, said ram being made operative through theV medium of the revolving nuts e, the whole being constructed and` arranged substantially as herein described andifor the purpose set forth.

l IVM. HGERTY.

Witnesses:

.Terms J. '.IoHNsroN, A. C. JOHNSTON. 

